Osmeña: City won't heed Gwen's call to join MCDC

CEBU - Mayor on-leave Tomas Osmeña stood firm by his decision for Cebu City not to join the Metro Cebu Development Council (MCDC) headed by Governor Gwendolyn Garcia.

He issued the statement after the governor has called on the mayors of Lapulapu, Mandaue and Cebu cities to be part the MCDP.

Garcia earlier explained that the involvement of the cities and municipalities with the MCDC would result to success in addressing different problems, particularly on issues of traffic and pollution.

But Osmeña told the people of Mandaue and Lapulapu Cities “that the governor wants your city to be a signatory to a memorandum of agreement creating an MCDC to be composed of at least a dozen of LGUs as members.”

“Cebu City will not join with such arrangement. Why should Cebu City have only one vote as if Naga, Minglanilla and Compostela and others as big as Cebu City? Should Mandaue and Lapulapu have the same voice and importance as Compostela?” he said.

Osmeña further asked: “What happens to your local autonomy when even your financial contribution will be placed under the control of the smaller mayors and the governor as the mandated boss? Your money will be used to collect their garbage and man their traffic enforcement and the governor will get the credit.”

During the scheduled meeting of the MCDC the other day, only few of the mayors of the different LGUs in Metro Cebu had attended.

Those who failed to attend the meeting were Danao City mayor Ramon Durano III, Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes, Carcar City Mayor Patrick Barcenas, Lapulapu City Mayor Arturo Radaza and Minglanilla Mayor Eduardo Ma. Selma.

Because of the poor attendance among local chief executives, the scheduled signing of the memorandum of agreement was postponed.

Osmeña’s trusted department head Nigel Paul Villarete explained that it would be very awkward to create a body like the MCDC because it does not have the power to formulate plans and to impose them on its members.

MCDC was created by the Regional Development Council in 1997 to coordinate the planning, project implementation and monitoring of programs and projects in Metro Cebu.  — Rene U. Borromeo/WAB (THE FREEMAN)